Gate or door latch.



. l PATENTED MAY14,1907.

"m0-BROWN.

GATE 0R DOOR. LATCH.

v APPLIoATIoN FILED 00127, 1906.

BVM/QP I i ATTORNEYS' JOHN SHERMAN BROWN, OF OHIOWA, NEBRASKA. I

GATE OR DOOR LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patent-ed May 14, 1907.

Application filed October 27, 1906. Serial No. 340,848.

T0 ct//Z'wt/fm/ irl muy concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN SHERMAN BROWN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Ohiowa, in the county of Fillmore and State of Nebraska, have invented a new and Improved Gate or Door Latch, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact de-` scription.

This invention relates to latches such as used on gates or doors, and the object of the invention is to produce a simple latch which will operate to hold the door or gate in an open position as well as in a closed position.

A further object is to provide a construction which will enable the gate or door to come close to the fence or Wall in which it is placed, when latched in its open position.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts tobe more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specication, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

. Figure 1 is a front elevation showing a short portion of a fence provided with a gate and having my latch attached thereto 5 Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, upon an enlarged scale g Fig. 3 is a perspective showing the body of the latch; Fig. 4 is a perspective of a keeper of the form normally used with a latch and Fig. 5 is a perspective showing another formv the keeper may take when the gate is adapted to open in either direction.

Referring more particularly to the parts, 1 represents a fence having a gateeway closed by a gate 2, the same being mounted so as to swing outwardly on hinges 3, and on the other edge of the gate the body 4 of the latch is attached. The construction of this latch is very clearly shown in Fig. 2; it comprises a bolt 5, the body of which is of substantially square section, the same being mounted to slide longitudinally in a case 6. At its rear extremity the bolt 5 is formed with a stem 7 Which slides through an opening in the rear of the case, and around this stem there is placed a helical spring 8 Which tends to hold the bolt in the position shown in Fig. 2, and with its extremity projecting from the edge of the gate.

The case 6 is provided on its outer face with a slot 9 through which a dog 10 projects from .the bolt. The outer end of this dog is provided with an eye 11 in which there is freely supported a pull handle 12. This handle is formed of wire twisted into a suitable shape and normally hanging down from the dog in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1. The gate 2 is provided adjacent to the latch with a slot 13, and this slot is in register with a similar slot 14 which is formed in the inner wall of the case. Through the slots 13 and 14 a dog 15 projects inwardly from the bolt, and this dog is provided with a pull handle 16 which is similar in construction to the pull handle 12 just described. On the amb 17 of the gate-way I attach a keeper 18, the form of which is very clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4. This keeper is adapted to be formed of a bent v plate presenting Hanges 19 adapted to be attached`to the face of the amb, and presenting an inclined cheek 20 in which an opening 21 is formed to receive the end of the bolt. The outer portion of the keeper is formed into an inclined lip 22 which is adapted to be struck by the nose of the bolt when the gate is swung shut, so that it operates to push the bolt inwardly, enabling it to snap into the i opening 21.

Special attention is called to the fact that the nose of the bolt 5 is not beveled. In order to enable the gate to be latched in an open position, at a suitable point on the side of the face, I attach a second keeper 2 3 which is similar in construction to the keeper 18 just described. When the gate is swung open and backwardly against the fence, the nose of the bolt comes in contact with this keeper 23 and becomes latched, it being understood that the inclined face 24 of the keeper 23 operates to push the bolt inwardly like the lip 22. The gate, when opened in this way, can lie close against the side of the fence by reason of the construction of the pull handle 12. In this connection it will be observed that the dog 10 is quite short, so that it does not project suhciently to strike the fence. Furthermore, the pull handle 12 hangs down like a pendant and does not project beyond the dog. The gate may evidently be readily unlatched from its latched open position by means of the pull handle 16, which then lies on the outer side of the gate. The gate may also be evidently readily unlatched when in its closed position, by a person standing on either side of the gate. Where the latch is used' in a gate which is mounted to IOO IIO

swing open in either ywhich attach to the jamb of the gateway.

direction, I employ a keeper of the form shown in Fig. 5, presenting a face plate 25 and an opening 26 to receive the bolt, the said face plate being oilset outwardly 'from the 'l'ace oi the I 'forni the keeper With inclined sides or legs 27, the same being formed at their extremities into feet 2S The inclined parts 27 operate like the lip 22 so as to force the bolt inwardly if the gate swings to its closed position from either side.

In practice the dog 15 may be made of any length for doors of different thickness.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. In combination, a sliding bolt adapted to be attached to a gate or door, a keeper adapted to be attached to the janib and having an inclined face, a second keeper attached to the fence or wall near the edge of said gate or door when swung open, and also having an inclined face, said inclined faces being adapted to engage the nose of said* bolt to force the same inwardly to lock said gate in an open or. closed position, the nose .1 of said bolt being substantially square and unbeveled whereby it may (1o-operate with either of said keepers.

2. In con'ibination, a gate having a slot formed therein, a latch body attached to said gate and comprising a case, a bolt mounted in said case and having a dog projecting through said slot to the opposite side ol" said case, said case having a slot therein, a second dog projecting through said slot, a pendant handle carried by said second dog, a keeper adapted to be attached to the ainb of the gate and having an inclined `laee adapted to force the salne inwardly when the gate swings shut to engage the bolt and a second keeper adapted to be attached to the 'fence in which said gate is hung and having an inclined l'ace engaging said bolt when said gate is in its extreme open position to force the saine inwardly, said second keeper having an opening to retain said bolt.

In testimony whereof I have signed niy name to this speciiication in the presence ol two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN SHERMAN BROWN litnesses:

JNO. F. STEELE, IV. J. DE LA MATER 

